Have you ever wanted to know the difference between robusta and arabica coffee beans? Whether you’re thinking about trying out a new blend or want to start roasting your own beans, it really helps to know the difference between the two major varieties available to work with.
A bean is not just a bean – arabica and robusta both have distinct pros, cons, and popular uses.
Two Beans: Two Personalities
Robusta beans are the less flavorful of the two varieties, although coffee brewed from robusta is still very tasty to the average coffee drinker. These beans are cheap to grow, produce a higher yield, have double the caffeine of arabica, and produce a nice creamy layer of crema on espresso.
Because of the economical advantages, robusta has become popular as filler in commercial ground brands. The vast majority of coffee drinkers never even notice the difference.
Arabica coffee beans are the “higher quality” ones that choosy consumers crave. Those who want complete control over their brew often choose green arabica coffee beans and roast them at home, while others choose to buy a specific region – or cultivar-specific variety to buy either green or pre-roasted.
Every coffee drinker has a different opinion about which varieties are the best arabica coffee beans, but in the end, it usually comes down to freshness.
Since arabica coffee beans are so much more difficult to cultivate the prices can run extremely high for exotic varieties like Jamaican Blue Mountain or Panama.
Yes, there are major differences between the two types of coffee beans and the plants that grow them – but they both have very important uses in the coffee world. In the end, it doesn’t really matter if your blend contains robusta or arabica coffee beans – what matters is if you like it!
